


Pathfinder and Sojourner

by Tulak_Hord



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Anakin trying to speedrun solving every problem in the Galaxy, Gen, In which Anakin is at once both adorable and terrifying(ly effective), Meditation, Obi-Wan and his insane Plans, The Aing-Tii, Tired Obi-Wan Kenobi, Wizard Lizards of the Unknown Regions, Young Anakin Skywalker
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 19:09:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29921505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tulak_Hord/pseuds/Tulak_Hord
Summary: Frustrated by Anakin's refusal to meditate, Obi-Wan hatches a rather dubious plan that involves getting lost somewhere in the Unknown Regions, all in the name of hiring an expert to teach his padawan of the art.So what if said expert happens to be a few millennia-old and quite happily insane? It wasn't Obi-Wan's fault that Anakin began to solve every last problem in the Galaxy after his very first lesson, and drag him inexorably along.
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker & Shmi Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker & Yoda, Leia Organa & Anakin Skywalker & Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan and Every Single Clone, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 16
Kudos: 33





	Pathfinder and Sojourner

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Darth_Mulcibre](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darth_Mulcibre/gifts).



> Title from the Mars Pathfinder mission. 
> 
> I found I didn't have a single story of small Anakin being precious, and that was unacceptable. In fact, the few writings of mine in which he has appeared, he has been downright antagonistic. 
> 
> For Darth_Mulcibre, whose astute commentary is always a joy to read. Unlike my usual work, this will be a nice, wholesome story that is simply too well-endowed with an overdose of fluff that it cannot do without being a gift.

** I- Master Kenobi and his unsound plans **

"Um, welcome back, Master Obi-Wan. Why're you gone for so long these days anyway?" 

A sigh. 

"The Senate, sadly, is in charge of my schedule, not I. Such is the duty of a Jedi, I'm afraid- but come now, how have you kept in my absence?" 

"Oh, I'm good. Mr. Palpatine invited me into his office. He made some time for me because he enjoys my company."

 _"Right."_ Obi-Wan snapped, too tired to control the sudden surge of invective into the statement. Anakin flinched, having sensed it with his superlative powers, despite Obi-Wan's truly formidable shields. He guessed he shouldn't even wonder how- it was _Anakin,_ after all.

"Uh, Master? Should I-"

"No, no. Forgive me, I- I'm worn out, that is all. You know how I feel about politicians."

"But Mr. Palpatine is-"

"I'm sure _Chancellor_ Palpatine is a good man, just as you've told me so many times. It's just that..." Obi-Wan huffed. He _tried_ to like Anakin's... _friend..._ who just _happened_ to be the Supreme Chancellor... for his padawan's sake, but never could quite manage it. 

Palpatine himself made it quite easy to like him. The few times Obi-Wan had bothered to meet the man (dragged by Anakin, of course), he'd bothered to find out Obi-Wan's favourite blend of sapir tea and present it to him, saying that it was one of his own most cherished drinks. He'd proved adept as any Chiss Grandmaster when it came to Chess, Moebius and even Shah-Tezh (which Obi-Wan honestly thought no one apart from him even played on Coruscant), and Obi-Wan had enjoyed playing him, certainly. 

But something was... _off._

It seemed too odd to be a simple coincidence that the one bitter, harsh blend of sapir Qui-Gon had introduced him to on _Manaan_ of all places just _incidentally_ happened to be the Chancellor's favourite. And for one who claimed to have never participated in any official tournament, Palpatine's chessplay was just a _little_ too precise, too refined and entirely too effective. 

"Master?" Anakin asked, trying to divine his train of thought. Only two years of Anakin absently fiddling around in his mind without actually knowing it had given Obi-Wan the necessary mastery to keep his all-too-powerful apprentice from sensing his every thought. 

What should he do? Wave off his concerns? It certainly was what he _should_ do. Anakin was his own person, entitled to his own friendships...

On a whim, he decided to tell part of the truth. Unbeknownst to him, it would be a momentous occasion. 

"It's just that... well, in these past few months... I seem to get to spend less time with you than even Palpatine does. And he- well, he's the Supreme Chancellor. I can't imagine he has much free time at all."

"Must be due to the Council _sleemos_ handing you mission after mission." said Anakin. Obi-Wan glared.

"I'll have you know, my very young Padawan, that said 'Council Sleemos' can do nothing but accept when the Senate offers them specific recommendations. So-called Sith killer that I am, my name seems to come up very frequently.

 _"Senate sleemos."_ said Anakin unrepentantly.

Obi-Wan fixed him with a truly terrifying expression he'd asked Mace Windu to teach him personally. That succeeded in making Anakin look a little guilty for about a second. 

“Now, then. As your Master has returned to you, I thought we could do some sparring demonstrations today. I’ve brought all the holocrons necessary…”

“Yes, Master!” Anakin said, looking so enthusiastic that Obi-Wan had to hide his fond chuckle behind a very forced cough. “Can we do Djem-So today?”

“That depends. Did you complete your two-hour meditation session as I asked?”

“Yes!”

The answer was a little too immediate.

“Anakin?”

“Yes, Master?”

“Should I believe that you’re telling the truth?”

And… wait for it… there. Now he got defensive.

“Why shouldn’t you believe that I’m telling the truth, Master? I’m your padawan, aren’t I? Padawans don’t lie to their masters, it’s just not done, as you said…”

Just as expected.

“Sorry, sorry. It really was too foolish of me to ask. Whatever you might say, it won’t change the fact that you’re the best padawan I could ever have asked for.”

His twelve year-old padawan smiled happily. Obi-Wan chose the moment as the perfect time to make his move.

“I suppose now is as good a time to start as any. Now if you don’t mind, I think I left my spare training saber in your room…”

“No- no, wait, Master, you didn’t- it’s in yours-“

 _Too late,_ thought Obi-Wan, with a vicious smile of satisfaction, and used a tug of the Force to pull Anakin’s door open.

In hindsight, that might not have been such a brilliant idea, considering the explosion of scrounged droid parts he ended up buried beneath.

Anakin, who somehow managed to dodge the flood with an extremely adept display of precognition, could only look sheepishly at what little he could see of his buried master.

 _“That’s the fifth time.”_ came a soft, muffled voice from beneath the rubble.

_“The fifth time.”_

“Sorry, Master-“

“ANAKIN!”

* * *

A Jedi Master returned to the Temple six months after he left it.

It was rather odd, Obi-Wan reflected, that the Temple Guards didn’t quite gawk at him under their masks- but then again, a commendation to their stalwartness.

He’d guessed they would be rather shocked at the huge, white, chitin-hulled pseudo-spaceship that currently hovered above the Jedi Temple, or his rather portly companion floating serenely along on his palanquin-throne, gliding up the steps with some sort of advanced repulsor technology powered by the Force. If they were, they hid it well.

“Halt!” said Master Thunor, who was stationed there that day. “Master Kenobi, your companion shall need a visitor’s pass, and both of you a screening check…”

“A pleasure as always, Master Thunor.” said Obi-Wan, cutting across him smoothly. “May I introduce my esteemed companion, Mage-Lord Tezcatlipok of the Aing-Tii.”

The Temple Guard’s mask snapped to the newcomer, on whose face he could see no discernible eyes- not until he opened them, anyways. Quite suddenly, two intelligent orbs on either side of the reptilian creature’s head snapped open. The irises were a dull grey, but the eyes themselves- a soft, silver light seemed to be coming from them.

“Forgive me, erm… _Mage-Lord…_ Tess-cat-poke? I’m sorry if I must offend, but I can’t allow…”

 _“What hail and well met, Young Child of the Zhell.”_ six tongues flickered out of the oddly aquiline snout. _“As the eminent Sir Kenobi has no doubt pronounced ere our disembarkation, I am here to reconnoitre the whereabouts of a vergence in the Force, and to order its music so that it may rain forth notes in attenuation with the will of the Whills…”_

The Temple Guard was rather dumbstruck, not knowing at all what the archaic, winding speech meant.

“First of all, Lord Tezcatlipok, do be so kind as to use only one tongue. I think you’ll find it easier to simulate the syllables of basic in that way as well. Sadly, we humans are not as... ehm, physically-endowed as your peers, and find more than one tongue unnerving.”

The reptilian creature turned silent for some time, pondering this revelation.

 _“Ah. It shall be of the essence to teach you children the need to dismiss the mere superfluity of the concept you call ‘beauty’ and see matter for what it is and what value it holds. I will do this. But until then, I shall honour your wish.”_ it said, slowly and with only one tongue this time.

“Much appreciated.” said Obi-Wan smoothly. Thunor didn’t even dare to consider whether he’d actually listened to and understood the multifarious philosophical intents. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind, I _didn’t_ tell anybody that we were coming, because I didn’t want the place barricaded against us…”

_“Nay, nay, Sir Kenobi. ‘Tis not the way of matters to manifest and issue forth unannounced. And these worries of barricades are most amusing- what are they but constructs to be cast aside?”_

There were two more Temple Guards at the scene. Their minds were reeling. Obi-Wan Kenobi somehow continued, perfectly in tune with the wending rhetoric due to what could only be considered some sort of sorcery.

“This vergence, as I was saying, is my student, Anakin. I didn’t bring you to ‘reconnoitre his whereabouts’ or to ‘order his notes in attenuation with the will of the Whills’, but in fact to teach him meditation.”

The two antennae lying drooped on the Mage-Lord’s forehead propped up at this revelation.

_“A living, walking vergence? And one of your… obfuscationist kind at that? Most interesting. I aforethought you to be imprecise with your dialect when first you told me, as are the rest of the young, but… no doubt I shall. If you shall not mind, I must inform my comrade, Tadar’Ro and High Mage-Lord Wynbotyl of this remarkable occurrence. But for now, lead on!”_

Obi-Wan nodded and nonchalantly began climbing up the steps, the palanquin-throne floating closely behind.

The Temple Guard had just about unclipped their golden lightsabers from their belts before the Aing-Tii did… _something…_ and somehow the blades were in his claws and not the hands of their wielders.

One of the golden lightsabers floated idly up and ignited of its own accord.

_“Interesting, most firmly so. An ingenious weapon, if quite… uncivilised.”_

If Obi-Wan hadn’t spent six months with the Aing-Tii, he’d have spat. _A lightsaber, uncivilised?_

_“I wonder. Perhaps it has a core of the Ashla-kaiburr…”_

The secrets of each unique lightsaber’s construction were known only to the maker. That didn’t stop the blade from disassembling itself under the Mage-Lord’s masterful command, with the golden Kyber crystal floating out. The Aing-Tii had by now begun to extend a very long tongue, licking the various facets of the crystal, as if he were savouring a particularly delectable treat.

“Lord Tezcatlipok, control yourself! We do not do that here. What would Tadar’Ro think?” said Obi-Wan, _somehow_ knowing the perfect thing to say.

 _“Tiresome Tadar’Ro and his tirades of diplomacy- ahem, hem! I… seem to have forgotten myself, Master Kenobi.”_ said the Aing-Tii, dutifully putting the crystal back and looking somewhat sheepish.

The palanquin-throne floated over to one of the Temple-Guards, whom he’d frozen in stasis, at which the Aing-Tii carefully placed the lightsaber back in the belt and patted the man a little with his claw.

He didn’t bother to release him from stasis until Obi-Wan and he were conveniently in the Temple. An alarm rang out, of course, but Obi-Wan just raised a hand and it stopped at once.

The Mage-Lord hummed appreciatively. _“Most impressive, Master Kenobi. Even I have not within my power the subtlety to trace this stormpath-“_

“Circuit.”

_“-Circuit to its source.”_

“One of the perks of having Anakin for a padawan. You get to know every small engineering detail about the Temple’s security systems within two months- except those of the restricted section of the Archives, of course.”

_“…Most illuminating.”_

* * *

It had been _six months._

Six months of half-messages and garbled transmissions from one Master Obi-Wan Kenobi who had apparently just… _left_ the Temple quite randomly and found himself in _Wild Space._

And in the Kathol Rift at that- talk about obscure places to go to.

Mace had heard a few stories, children’s tales of the reptilian creatures that lived there, ignoring the very concept of Light Side and Dark Side and simply mastering _The Force._

And one of them, it seemed, had simply… _floated_ up in a ridiculous palanquin-throne, with whomever else but Master Kenobi as an escort.

Did the damnable man _know_ what his apprentice had done? For lack of a master to tire, every single droid in the Temple had somehow been covertly reprogrammed. They were more efficient now, certainly- but that meant their tasks were finished more quickly. The rest of the time, they… _talked._ Beeped and chirped incessantly among each other. Skywalker would often talk to them, and point at Mace himself and giggle. It quite drove him up the wall.

There seemed to be an excess of masters insistent on training the young Chosen One, but none Mace trusted, and so he had been temporarily reassigned to Master Yoda himself until Obi-wan came back.

Master Windu could finally appreciate just why his old friend, Dooku, had left the order. Yoda was… teaching… that kowakian monkey-lizard… certain… _things._ Horrid, trollish things.

Mace was never taking a single shower in the Temple ever again. He hoped Masters Sinube or Jocasta Nu would never discover the fact that he’d diverted a small fraction of the Jedi Order’s funds for a temporary one-room apartment (with a shower) where he could calm himself.

He’d expected to be relieved when Master Kenobi returned, so that the Dark Lord of Chaos could be restored to him and would firmly be off Mace’s back and so that Yoda would no longer have an excuse to miss Council sessions.

Instead, he found himself being summoned by Battlemaster Cin Drallig on the occasion of a massive security breach.

A number of Temple Guards had apparently been frozen in place by the Force, after which the Temple’s various alarm systems had somehow _failed,_ as well as the cameras.

He raced, brandishing his purple lightsaber, catching up with Master Drallig. The Battlemaster nodded to him, and Mace saw that he had deployed a rather large force of Temple Guard and Knight-Guardians.

“The intruders will be here any moment.” said Master Drallig emotionlessly, at which Mace gave the order to form a perimeter around the corridor they were in through the Force.

He restrained his jaw from dropping when he first saw the floating palanquin-throne and the rather portly creature on it. He allowed it to drop when Master Kenobi came around the same corner, chatting rather animatedly and in an exceedingly archaic manner with the palanquin’s occupant.

_“Ah! And these would be the other little children you were so fond of, Sir Kenobi, would they not?”_

Obi-Wan did not even turn to them.

“Yes, honoured one. Of those standing before us, He of the unpleasant scowl would be Master Windu. I suppose he could be called the head of the Order- or at least the highest-ranking Jedi present here.”

Mace could see a great shatterpoint forming. He’d need to perform some sort of catharsis immediately to prevent the insufferable migraine that was bound to come of such matters. To acknowledge this… _Mage-Lord…_ would only hasten the headache, so he walked forward, eyes set and hard.

_“Obi-Wan Kenobi, you motherfucker.”_

* * *

Anakin was _worried._

It had been six months since he’d heard from Master Obi-Wan.

Sure, Master Yoda was great and all- he’d taught Anakin some useful things, which Anakin hoped to convince Master Obi-Wan to continue teaching him.

That lesson about the element of surprise, for example. He wondered if there was a way to temporarily enlarge ventilation systems with the Force so that he could continue to crawl through them as he got older. Or the time Master Yoda had taught him fine telekinetic control by having him stop Grumpy Windu’s hot water while in the pipelines.

Anakin didn’t feel too bad about it, because he was doing Grumpy Windu a favour, right? That guy really needed to cool off.

However, it was going to be his thirteenth birthday and Master Obi-Wan never missed his birthdays and he always brought him some sort of gift- thoughtful gift-

The Chancellor was nice, though. He’d given Anakin this _wicked cool_ lightsaber made of electrum alloy. Anakin had been studying it for very long, comparing it to his own. The grip was little odd- fitted for the hands of a Muun, or so Mr. Palpatine said. This Muun had apparently been a very old friend of his.

And every time he mentioned his birthday to Master Yoda, he seemed to grow _so sad…_ he tried to hide it, sure, but Anakin could see through him (it was the ears).

Anakin had tried to investigate what it was. Master Yoda had a number of holopics, small ones, with a handsome, tall man with a nose that looked as if it had been sharpened by a professional welder and cheekbones so high that they had to have been put there artificially.

Anakin thought this was a very snobby person, but apparently Master Yoda had had a lot of nice adventures with him. There was even that one holopic of something on Kashyyyk, which Master Yoda had said he’d tell him about later, when he was older.

Anakin didn’t want to intrude on what was clearly a moment. This wasn’t true for Master Obi-Wan, who was his to intrude upon as he wished. So Master Yoda was great, but he wanted Master Obi-Wan.

“Young Skywalker. Hear this, you should.” came Master Yoda’s voice, as Yoda himself came hobbling to rest beside him.

“What is it, Master?” Anakin asked, before he felt his bond flare to life.

_Finally!_

At seeing his obvious change in expression, Master Yoda raised what little was left of an eyebrow. “Know already, it seems you do. Here, he is. Returned to the Temple Master Obi-Wan has.”

Anakin blinked. Returned… _already?_

“Master Yoda, I… I just sensed him now. How could he have completed re-entry so quickly? There’s no craft that exists that can survive such a journey at such a speed!”

Master Yoda looked at him as if he’d grown another head.

“…Sense Master Obi-Wan from Orbit, you can?”

“Well… yeah! ‘Course I can! He’s the best Master ever and what kinda Padawan would I be if I can’t even sense him while he’s in orbit!”

Yoda bobbed his little head, and Anakin just couldn’t see the point. What was so unusual about this?

“…Unusual, this is. Bound very closely in the Force you two must be. Two explanations there are: either hiding from us, Master Kenobi was- or with him, a great presence is. Hmm, an old presence, yes.”

Anakin scratched his head. “You… know this?”

Master Yoda gave a bit of a reedy cackle, waving his hoverchair over.

“Right I was, it seems.” he muttered softly, and Anakin peeped a little. There seemed to be a number of comms from “Windu, Master Mace.”

“Um, Master Yoda- can we go see Master Obi-Wan? What do the messages say, anyway- er, if I’m allowed to ask?”

Yoda considered him for a moment.

“Excellent idea that is, young Skywalker. Needed, our presence is anyways. “To Corridor 0-66, level-3, at once come” it says.”

“Is… is that all, Master? Nothing at all about what Master Obi-Wan is doing?”

Yoda harrumphed.

“Some… language there was… A few… words… to say, Master Mace has. Hmm, yes, ungainly the words were. Too much of that sort of language in Huttese do you know, young Skywalker. Keep you away from that vocabulary in Basic, I wish to.”

**Author's Note:**

> So, as for how this will work, the next chapter will establish just how Anakin gets a peculiar sort of power that will probably drive away all Sithliness in the Galaxy at the cost of making Obi-Wan's life a lot worse. 
> 
> Apart from that, I have a bit of a list of problems that need to be solved. Feel free to add to the list in the comments, or simply state which ones you'd like to see solved next. 
> 
> 1) Shmi's captivity  
> 2) Darth Sidious (otherwise known as the Senate)  
> 3) The baby Clones and their chips  
> 4) Dooku (otherwise known as the worst grandfather in the Galaxy)  
> 5) The Ancient Sith Lords  
> 6) Slavery and the Hutts in general  
> 7) The imminent Civil War  
> 8) Mortis  
> 9) Other members of the Yoda's disastrous lineage (Feemor and so on)  
> 10)Mace Windu's headaches


End file.
